A tale of two busy -- very busy -- libraries

Wheaton seeks addition to hold its growing collection

"Libraries are busier than ever," said Wheaton Public Library director Sarah Meisels as she surveyed the bustling main floor on a weekday afternoon.

Following the Internet revolution of the 1990s, people are realizing that books and libraries are here to stay. Meisels recites a list of activities keeping people coming to the facility, including storytelling, science shows, book discussion groups and a comprehensive genealogy database.

The result is one of the busiest libraries in the country, according to American Libraries magazine. Last year, the magazine's annual survey ranked Wheaton's library sixth in the nation among towns of 50,000 to 100,000 (Wheaton has a population of 55,416, according to the latest census figures). It was the third straight year that the ratings, which are based on categories such as number of books checked out per resident and number of visitors per hour, listed Wheaton in the top 10.

"Traditionally in this community the library has been very important," Meisels said. "The community's socioeconomic status makes a big difference. People want to further their education and want it for their children."

Busier but smaller

But if the library has never felt busier, it also means it has never felt smaller. The library has been lobbying the City Council for about three years to approve an expansion, Meisels said. City Manager Donald Rose said the City Council appears ready to give the nod to the Library Board's proposal following an "extremely positive" public meeting held July 28.

Meisels said the case for more space is clear.

The library has more than doubled its number of books since its last expansion in 1978, swelling to 356,000 volumes at the end of last year. The library hosts 500,000 visits per year, a 50 percent increase since 1978, and serves a 40 percent larger population compared with its 1978 population of 40,000. Its audiovisual holdings, scant at the last expansion, have increased almost ninefold, and the number of Internet stations has gone from zero to nearly two dozen.

The space squeeze is evident around the library. Seating areas have been replaced by temporary shelves. Books are stacked horizontally on top of other books. On the children's floor, books are stacked on top of bookcases between bookends, out of some young readers' reach. The Library Board gave the City Council a list of 25 other Chicago area public libraries that have been built or expanded more recently than Wheaton.

"The existing building has a lot of deficiencies," said Meisels, who said the expansion would more than double the library's shelf space and increase its size from 72,000 square feet to 120,000. "Even in the summer, when more books are checked out, the shelves are packed."

Expansion plans

The library's plan calls for an expansion of the one-story northern portion of the library, which would be demolished and replaced with a three-story addition (one story below ground, two above). The addition would stretch west over Cross Street, which the city has offered to close. A reading room, which could be left open after library hours, and an outdoor park would stretch south down Cross Street from the addition.

The City Council recognized the need for more room but didn't have a sense of where Wheaton residents stood on the plan, according to Rose. Residents would have to approve a property tax hike of around $50 per household per year to foot the construction bill of about $20 million.

"This is probably the largest single project, costwise, we've engaged in ever," Rose said. "The council has struggled with [the question of] the library addition for the better part of a year, and cost has been the critical element."

If the project is approved, Rose said, ground could break on the expansion late next year, and it would be completed in 2006 at the earliest.

Glen Ellyn's facility

A decade ago, the Glen Ellyn Public Library had similar problems: an outdated facility, books spilling off shelves and not enough room to sit and read or hold a meeting. The Library Board decided to start from scratch with a new building.

Opened in 1995, the facility has made a stunning visual impact on Duane Street. Designed in the English Tudor style characteristic of Glen Ellyn, the building reflects the town's heritage. Inside, the soaring ceiling and curved overhead lamps make for a pleasant and roomy reading area.

While the library is an inviting place to look for books, Director Gordon Welles said that one of the most important ways the building serves Glen Ellyn is by giving people a place to gather. Among the busiest places in the building are the first-floor meeting rooms.

"This is a town that likes to get together and has a need to discuss things," Welles said. "It's something this community feels very passionately about.